when the stars (don’t) align

You didn’t think I’d make it through this diet thing without at least attempting a compliant dessert, did you?

My brain is all sorts of all over the place and all I really want is to make (eat) tiramisu. Unfortunately, the Whole Life Challenge, and also it’s already that time of year when it gets dark too early and I can never seem to find a spare hour to bake before the natural light is gone.

Today I was also informed that Mercury is in retrograde. That has nothing to do with the light disappearing, (or anything, actually, since I generally don’t believe in astrology) but according to some, it’s the reason I’m currently an insomniac / disorganized mess.

Apparently virgos are particularly sensitive to Mercury’s retrograde – and “virgo magazine editors” are to be affected worst of all.

Did I mention I’m back in school now, taking editing?

Anyway, this cake turned out surprisingly well for being WLC compliant, and the cropped and filtered photos also turned out, well, okay considering the lack of light.

If only Mercury would go back to heading forward, maybe my blog posts would be more interesting and make more sense.

In the meantime, all I have to offer is cake.

Paleo Strawberry Shortcake

Even though it’s paleo / gluten free / refined sugar free, I have to say, it’s really good. The banana flavour comes through a bit more than I’d like, but the alternative is honey, in which case I would lose a WLC point, in which case I’d just be eating tiramisu.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a standard muffin pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, rapidly whisk eggs, vanilla, and mashed banana. Add dry ingredients (flours through baking powder) and whisk some more. Because there’s no gluten, there’s no risk of over-mixing! (It’s the little things in life.)

Pour in butter and coconut oil, and mix some more. Let it sit for a minute or two while the flours absorb the liquid – don’t panic and add more flour or it’ll end up too dry.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool for a while before turning out of the pan – the cooler the muffins the easier this will be.

Cut the cupcakes in half and fill with whipped cream and strawberries.